Europe

HEADLINES

A team of Indian Army (IA) officers is evaluating 7.62 mm (7.62×51) light machine guns (LMGs) manufactured by vendors in Bulgaria, Israel, and South Korea to meet the force’s immediate requirement for 16,400 LMGs.
Official sources told Jane’s that the IA-led group, which also

The Italian Navy has outlined the development roadmap for a four-country EU initiative to deliver a deployable maritime security ‘system of systems’ incorporating multiple unmanned platforms and sensors.
Intended to safeguard vessels and critical infrastructure in littoral environments

The Royal New Zealand Navy’s (RNZN’s) future hydrographic and diving support vessel has arrived in New Zealand following a 46 day-long journey from Denmark.
The service announced in mid-May that the 84.7 m-long vessel, which will be known as HMNZS Manawanui once commissioned, sailed

On 17 May, German officials informed NATO that the country has increased its defence budget by more than EUR5 billion (USD5.6 billion) to EUR47.32 billion in 2019. The German government also announced that it would increase its defence budget to EUR49.67 billion in 2020. The 2019 figure raises

The Edjer Yalçin and NMS (Yörük) protected mobility vehicles were displayed among Leopard 2A7 main battle tanks and other equipment due to enter service with Hungary at the Hungarian National Defence Day events held at Budaörs Airport on 18 May.
The vehicles were displayed in

As a number of non-binding expressions of interest are made for the respective engine and aircraft divisions of Italy’s Piaggio Aerospace, the Italian government has claimed that it will work to prevent break-up of the OEM.
Financial difficulties led to the company entering special

Airbus has emerged as the newest potential buyer for Bombardier’s plant in Belfast, Northern Ireland, as new CEO Guillaume Faury expresses interest in acquiring the A220 wing production site.
Bombardier announced in early May that it was seeking to divest its facilities in both Northern

The first of two corvettes on order for the Pakistan Navy (PN) has been launched at the facilities of Dutch shipbuilder Damen in Galati, Romania.
The service announced on its Facebook page that the 2,300-ton vessel, which had been previously described as an offshore patrol vessel (OPV), entered the water on

Norway is set to write-off the damaged Fridtjof Nansen-class frigate KNM Helge Ingstad after a report found that repairing the salvaged ship would cost more than buying a new-build replacement.
Released on 15 May, the analysis prepared by the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (Forsvarsmateriell)

A combined US-Croatia research and development (R&D) programme is assessing the use of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) to monitor and potentially alter navigational positioning of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). The concept is based on using USVs to navigate a UUV to a target, such as a

Belgium’s Mecar and Slovakia’s ZTS-Special conducted validation trials in late April in Slovakia with new M929 armor piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot-tracer (APFSDS-T) ammunition developed specially for the 2A42 family of 30x165 mm calibre automatic cannons.
The trials were held

Sweden’s naval chief has spelled out his ambitions for the future fleet as the government weighs its priorities for the forthcoming 2021-2025 defence bill.
Speaking at the UDT Europe conference in Stockholm on 13 May, Rear Admiral Jens Nykvist, chief of navy, said he wanted to see the Royal

The US military has announced that an amphibious assault ship and a Patriot air defence battery are being sent to the Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility, but President Donald Trump has dismissed reports that 120,000 troops could be deployed.
"I think it's fake news,” Trump

China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) has confirmed that it is considering potential investment in shipyards in Croatia.
The state-owned Chinese group said in a statement on 14 May that it plans to carry out an “in-depth study” into the possible investments. CSIC identified two

Apparent tensions between NATO allies over an imminent Iranian threat were exposed after a two-star UK general briefed journalists on 14 May.
Major General Chris Ghika, the second in command of the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), fielded questions from Bagdad. While

Spain has withdrawn its F-100-class frigate from a prolonged exercise with the USS Abraham Lincoln -led carrier group after it was ordered to the Gulf in a stand-off with Iran.
Acting Defence Minister Margarita Robles said on 14 May that Méndez Núñez (F-104) had been pulled out

Newly appointed UK defence secretary Penny Mordaunt has promised to fight for a budget increase for her ministry in an ongoing review of government spending plans.
At the Royal United Service Institute’s annual Sea Power Conference in London on 15 May, Mordaunt said it was vital to create an

Key Points
Switzerland has split its aircraft procurement from the ground-based air-defence acquisition, with a cap of USD5.95 billion on the programme
The acquisition may now be subject to a referendum, which could delay the programme
Switzerland has redefined the budget for its procurement of a

Italy’s DRASS Defence has entered the submarine market and aims to deliver compact and affordable solutions for smaller navies in particular.
DRASS, with a long history of building diving systems, presented its range of small submarines, comprising boats from 120 tonnes displacement and 28.2

Tods Defence has commenced initial production of sonar domes for the UK Royal Navy’s (RN’s) Type 26 City-class frigates, the company told Jane’s at UDT 2019.
The contract for three domes was awarded in 2016, and delivery is expected from mid-2020.
Initial production activity so